MRKT 4504 Week 5 International Research Memo Example

Course	MRKT 4504 Global Marketing
Week	Week 5
Paper type	Research memo
Length	About 640 words, 4 pages
Format	Memo, APA 7 citations
School	Walden University
Program	BS in Business Administration
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for MRKT 4504 Week 5

Memorandum

To: Owners, Ember County Smokehouse

From: Export Marketing Coordinator

Date: April 6, 2026

Re: Research plan for Market A: secondary sources graded, primary research proposed

What We Need to Know

Our entry decision for Market A depends on four questions: how large the imported condiment category is and whether it is growing; which retailers stock imported sauces and on what terms; what rival sauces cost on the shelf; and how households actually use bottled sauces at home. Some of these can be answered from published data. Some cannot. This memo grades the available sources and proposes a small primary study for the rest.

What this page is doingThe memo starts with the questions, because sources are only worth grading against what the decision needs.

Secondary Sources, Graded

Trade statistics are the most dependable source. They report imports under harmonized tariff codes, so they can be compared across years and countries, though the code covering sauces groups barbecue sauce with ketchup, soy sauce and other condiments. They will show whether imported sauces are growing, not whether barbecue sauce in particular is. Online grocery listings give current shelf prices for rivals, which the export pricing note will need.

Table 1

Questions, Best Secondary Sources and Their Grades

Question	Best secondary source	Age	Coverage	Comparability	Usable? \|
Size and growth of imported sauce category	National trade statistics and international trade databases using harmonized tariff codes	Current to one year	Imports by value and volume, all sauces together	Good across countries; does not separate barbecue sauce	Yes, for size and trend \|
Which retailers stock imported sauces	Trade press and the importer's own account lists	Varies	Partial; major chains only	Poor	Partly \|
Shelf prices of rival sauces	Online grocery listings and store checks by the importer	Current	Major chains' online stores	Good within the market	Yes \|
How households use bottled sauce	Published food-consumption surveys and academic studies	Often five years or older	General eating patterns, not sauce use	Poor for our question	No \|

Composite market. Sources are described by type; a real memo would name each specific database or survey and its date.

Where Secondary Data Stops

Secondary data stops at the question that matters most: how households use bottled sauce. The cultural analysis argued that shoppers in Market A use bottled sauces as table condiments rather than for grilling, but that argument rests on general eating patterns. If it is wrong, our label and campaign will be wrong too. Cateora et al. (2020) note that secondary data often lack the detail needed for product and promotion decisions and that small, focused primary studies fill the gap.

Proposed Primary Research

I propose two small studies, both run through the importer. First, tasting sessions at four supermarkets over two weekends, where shoppers try the sauce as a dip with roasted chicken and as a table sauce with rice, and answer five short questions about how they would use it and what they would pay. Second, eight in-home interviews with households that buy imported sauces, asking them to show us what is on their table and how each sauce is used. Together these would cost about $9,000, mostly the importer's staff time and an interpreter.

What this page is doingThe primary research is kept small, matched to the one question published data cannot answer.

Translation Equivalence

The questions will be written in English and translated. A word-for-word translation can change meaning; "barbecue," for example, may mean grilling in general rather than a sauce style. Brislin (1970) proposed back-translation, in which a second translator renders the translated questionnaire back into the original language so that differences can be caught. Douglas and Craig (2007) argued that back-translation alone can miss problems and recommended a collaborative approach in which translators and researchers discuss and revise items together. I propose that the importer's bilingual staff translate the questions, an independent translator back-translate them and the three of us review any differences before the study begins.

Decision Requested

Please approve $9,000 for the tasting sessions and interviews, to be completed before we finalize the label.

References

Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185-216. https://doi.org/10.1177/135910457000100301

Cateora, P. R., Money, R. B., Gilly, M. C., & Graham, J. L. (2020). International marketing (18th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Douglas, S. P., & Craig, C. S. (2007). Collaborative and iterative translation: An alternative approach to back translation. Journal of International Marketing, 15(1), 30-43. https://doi.org/10.1509/jimk.15.1.030

MRKT 4504 Week 5 instructions, in plain terms

Week 5 asks you to plan the research your firm needs before entering a foreign market. List the questions the decision depends on. For each, identify the best secondary source and grade it on age, coverage and comparability. Mark clearly where secondary data stops being dependable. Propose a small piece of primary research for the questions published data cannot answer, with its cost. Show how translated questions will be checked for equal meaning, naming an accepted method. End with a decision request and a timeline that fits the entry plan, so the research finishes before the decisions that depend on it rather than after them.

Inside the MRKT 4504 Week 5 example

The memo opens with four questions. A table pairs each with its best secondary source and grades it, noting that trade data group barbecue sauce with other condiments and that food surveys do not show sauce use. A section explains where secondary data stops, citing Cateora and colleagues. A section proposes tastings at four supermarkets and eight in-home interviews for about $9,000. A section on translation equivalence explains why "barbecue" may not translate as intended, cites Brislin on back-translation and Douglas and Craig on collaborative translation and sets out a three-step process. The memo closes with a decision request. The grading table marks each source as usable, partly usable or not usable for its question, which makes the gap plain.

MRKT 4504 Week 5 rubric: what earns full marks

Research memos are graded on whether the research fits the decision. Starting from the questions the decision depends on earns credit. Grading secondary sources on age, coverage and comparability is weighted heavily. Marking where secondary data stops shows judgment. Proposing modest, costed primary research for the remaining gap shows practical sense. Addressing translation equivalence with an accepted method demonstrates awareness of cross-cultural research problems. A decision request with timing makes the memo usable. Memos that list sources without grading them, propose large surveys without cost or ignore translation tend to receive lower marks. Naming each real source and its date is expected in a full assignment. A study kept small and matched to one question is valued over an ambitious survey with no budget.

Common MRKT 4504 Week 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Write down the three or four questions your entry decision truly depends on. For each, look for published data first: government statistics, trade databases, industry reports, retailer listings. Ask how old each source is, what it covers and whether it measures what you need. Where nothing fits, design the smallest study that would answer the question. If the research will be in another language, plan how you will check translations. Students often propose a large survey without asking whether published data could answer part of the question. Others forget that a word like "barbecue" may mean something different abroad. If you are unsure which sources exist for your market, our writers can help you find them.

Get a MRKT 4504 Week 5 example written to your instructions

Upload the research memo prompt from Week 5 alongside its rubric; a memo grading the sources on your market and proposing research for the gaps arrives within 24 to 48 hours, and a first one is free. If your market is chosen, name it so the sources cited are real ones. Otherwise the memo covers a composite market.

More MRKT 4504 papers and BS in Business Administration samples

MRKT 4504 Week 5 questions, answered

Where can I find a free MRKT 4504 Week 5 sample paper?

The research memo is available below in full and free.

What questions does the MRKT 4504 Week 5 memo address?

Category size, which retailers stock imports, rival shelf prices and how households use bottled sauce.

Which secondary source is most dependable?

Trade statistics under harmonized tariff codes, for category size and trend.

Where does secondary data stop?

At how households actually use bottled sauce at home.

How is translation handled?

Translation by bilingual staff, independent back-translation and a joint review of differences.